Modeling company's lack of keeping enough Models in stock.

[Anonymous]

Ill bet that alot of you Modelers out there always wanted a real special Model that is never in stock,ever. Well im going through it now. I have been going to sites to see just if there are still a few HO Scale Models out there that I want to collect such as the BN SD40-2,BN C30-7,ATSF SD40-2& so on. But it's getting harder and harder. I mean the Modeling business is big business and I just can't understand why there arn't any left still out there anymore.
BNSFrailfan.

[Adelie]

Since most of the Bunter Ridge roster is out of production locos, I wind up doing a lot of business on eBay. Since this is a freelance operation, I have the luxury of searching for undecorated models (not necessarily easy to find) or picking up what is available and ordering undecorated shells and bits and pieces.

All this stuff is batch produced these days, so if you really want something and it is available at a price that does not have the seller wearing a ski mask and carrying a gun, it is a good idea to jump on it.

[cwclark]

the reason why is that the companies that make the models will only make a certain number of them and won't do another run of the same model for quite some time afterwards..it used to not be like that, but now it seems everyone is doing it...i've been waiting for a MP15AC switcher for almost three years now and finally Athearn is supposed to do a run of them late this year...just hope they don't sell out before i can get my hands on a couple of them...chuck

[IRONROOSTER]

Batch runs seem to be very common now even for undecorated pieces. I think the great variety has a lot to do with it. Years ago there weren't as many choices and they were repeated over and over. Now the a particular item may not be rerun for a few years. I have a long term list of particular items I want and I try to buy them as they become available.
Enjoy
Paul

[Anonymous]

Yep, welcome to my world!

[AntonioFP45]

It can be rather frustrating to know that a model you want is only produced in batches and when it's released you don't have the money at the moment to get it! So you wonder if it will be around.

On a positive note though, Ebay has made limited run items much easier to obtain. I'm still smiling about winning a new P2K E7 on Ebay
(last run from Life Like was 1998!).

[brothaslide]

It used to be if you wanted an Athearn SD45 or most any other Athearn blue box, they could be found at your LHS. The fact that the hood width was a scale 6" too wide didn't bother you at all.

Now you have to jump when a new model is released or you'll be doing a lot of searching at shows, ebay, etc.

[davekelly]

The limited run thing is somewhat frustrating. Buy it now or go searching forever. On the other side, though is the recent marked down prices of BLI locos. Thus there is a tug of war. Buy now at the risk of heavily discounted prices later, or wait and risk not getting it. Man is it getting complicated!

[RMax1]

Lifelike Proto 2000 is really bad. They do not make enough of certain roads in the first place. The good news is the people that get them seem to really want them. There is not a large amount scalping on Ebay. You will rarely find a non excursion UP Proto 2000 E8/9 on Ebay. The Amtrak ones at one time were hard to find. I really do not like having to wait 5 to 6 years to get what I want.

RMax1

[Anonymous]

It annoys me too. I've been trying to get hold of another CNW Erie-Built and a CNW DL109, both P1k models. I've seen a couple of the Eries on ebay uk, but managed to miss both. I'm doubtful that the DL109 ever made it across the Atlantic - I've never seen them either in a store or on ebay, in any paint scheme. The real fun is with LGB stuff though - they have a habit of releasing locos without matching stock, or making a car for one year only and not since then. I have a loco and one car from the "Zillertalbahn" (Austrian narrow gauge system), I know they've done other matching cars but finding them is tricky - they're re-running the bar car this year so I'll be ordering one as soon as my stockist has it listed.

[Roadtrp]

How much are you willing to pay for that BN SD40-2?

discounttrainsonline.com has a BN (Cascade Green) SD40-2 from Broadway Limited in stock for $247.12

If a BNSF in the pumpkin color scheme would work for you they have an Athearn BNSF SD40-2 in stock for $44.07.

I've used discounttrainsonline.com several times and they are very reliable.

[:)]

[ereimer]

QUOTE: Originally posted by BNSF railfan.

I mean the Modeling business is big business
BNSFrailfan.

this is where you're going wrong . most companies producing railroad models are a lot smaller than we might think . they just don't have the production capacity or the money to keep everything in stock for extended periods . heck some of them never actually have inventory , they make a run of a few hundred models and they're all pre-sold by the time they actually get produced .

what's the solution ? if you see something , and you think you might need it someday , buy it now !

[jsoderq]

As ereimer has pointed out, most of these companies are very small. The retailer has limited capital and space so holding a product on the shelf just is not profitable. The same is even more true for the manufacturer. Production capacity is not really a problem these days as almost everything is made overseas. The problem is the time to get everything up and running and transported to the states. It can take six months or more lead time to get a project to fly. Now the problem on the customer end is that the market is a lot smaller than you think. Sales are not 1000's but low hundreds. Some units are hard to move even at 100 pieces. It is impossible to predict sales. A magazine article at the right time can boost sales a lot - a poor review can kill sales even though it may not be really accurate. Rumors of shortages will cause a run on an item. The last thing to remember is your pusher may not be telling the truth - he may not have ordered, he may not want to deal with a particular jobber who may actually have inventory Etc. I learned a long time ago - if you see it -want it -BUY IT! Iguess people don't remember Athearn items that were not produced for 6 or 8 years.

[selector]

I agree with the last few posts. Marketing is increasingly sophisticated these days, and many production companies use the 'just-in'time' type of ordering to keep storage costs down. Also, they copy one another, or piggy-back on a successful run if company A sold a ton of a given product. Then, the market gets saturated, and consumers begin to look for another diversion. "Diversion" is a key word, because we N Americans really like variety and entertainment (read- "we get bored quickly") So, a little research and some focus groups tell company B that there would be a big draw if they were to offer loco type Y within this price range. They contract with the PRC manufacturer to make 3000, or so, and you get lucky to have one if they are largely presold. If each loco costs the distributor $70 (for an MSRP of $275), and they end up with 260 locos unsold after the first six months, that's $18K tied up that could have gone into production of the next 'gotta have' loco. For these essentially tiny companies, they can't afford to make those mistakes.